D112 finalizes decision to leave TrueNorth 804, joining other local school districts

North Shore School District 112 voted Thursday to begin withdrawing from TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804, joining several other area districts in a move that could ultimately dissolve the special education organization.

D112’s Board of Education voted unanimously to leave the cooperative effective June 30, 2027, following warnings from district officials that TrueNorth’s 17 other member districts have also indicated plans to withdraw.

If D112 were to remain the only member district that hadn’t indicated intent to withdraw by July 1, 2025, it could have potentially become liable to absorb all of TrueNorth’s assets and its 120 staff members.

D112 Superintendent Michael Lubelfeld said he plans to work with other member districts and TrueNorth’s independent leadership counsel in the coming two years to revise the cooperative’s bylaws in hopes of encouraging members to remain.

Other districts have become frustrated with the cooperative’s financial model, which charges all districts membership fees while some benefit more heavily from the services provided than others, D112 Board Member Lisa Hirsh, the district’s liaison to the cooperative, previously said.

If a revised financial and governing model can be developed that satisfies its members’ needs, Lubelfeld said he will later recommend D112’s board reverse its withdrawal.

As a precaution, however, Lubelfeld urged D112 board members to leave the cooperative. Remaining in the cooperative without other members, he said, would negatively impact the district’s 15 students enrolled at TrueNorth and create financial and legal risks for the district.

“This past year has been incredibly difficult, watching a once strong cooperative begin to crumble,” said Hirsh, a parent of a child graduating from TrueNorth next year. “The decision I make tonight is deeply personal, but I also know that I must separate what’s best for my own family and what is best for the district as a whole, especially when it comes to financial responsibility.”

D112 was a founding member of TrueNorth in 1960, one of the first special education joint agreements in Illinois. Until recently, D112’s administration recommended staying in the cooperative and blocking others from withdrawing.

TrueNorth provides an array of specialized services at its two Highland Park campuses and on-site school grounds to North Shore districts who don’t have independent resources for programs such as early childhood support, speech therapy and adapted physical education.

TrueNorth will continue servicing its students and employing its staff in the upcoming 2025-’26 school year, according to a May 28 letter to families from former Superintendent Kurt Schneider.

Lubelfeld said Schneider plans to resign as TrueNorth’s superintendent effective July 11. Schneider’s departure will likely require the cooperative to hire an interim superintendent to navigate the ongoing deliberations. 

Districts who initiate the two-year withdrawal process are still allowed to revisit their decision to withdraw, Schneider wrote. This gives districts time to create support plans for their students who currently receive services from TrueNorth moving forward.

Glenview Community Consolidated School District 34 has already gained approval to withdraw from the cooperative on June 30, 2026. Glenbrook High School District 225 is seeking to withdraw that same date. New Trier Township High School District 203 is seeking to withdraw effective June 30, 2027.

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